CRISPRi-based genome-scale identification of functional long noncoding RNA loci in human cells

TLDR

The human genome produces thousands of long noncoding RNAs, yet only a very small number have been shown to be functional. The authors performed a large‑scale CRISPRi screen of approximately 17,000 lncRNAs across seven human cell lines. The screen identified roughly 500 lncRNAs that influence cell growth, most of which exhibit highly cell‑type‑specific effects limited to a single cell type. The study is reported by Liu et al.

Abstract

A very focused function for lncRNAs The human genome generates many thousands of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). A very small number of lncRNAs have been shown to be functional. Liu et al. carried out a large-scale CRISPR-based screen to assess the function of ∼17,000 lncRNAs in seven different human cell lines. A considerable number (∼500) of the tested lncRNAs influenced cell growth, suggesting biological function. In almost all cases, though, the function was highly cell type—specific, often limited to just one cell type. Science , this issue p. 10.1126/science.aah7111